Geraldo Mercado is both a student and Norwich employee, working as a senior enlisted advisor for the Corps of Cadets.

Many Norwich students find academics can be challenging. Adding a job to the mix can make life as a student even more stressful. However, students who work while at Norwich say having a job during the academic year can also have beneficial aspects.

Having a job and earning money is appealing to many students, and it also offers an opportunity to gain more knowledge and experience in their major field.

“I’m working with wireless microphones, set-ups and scenes so I think I’m ready for the work force, and ready for the press box if I get there,” said Kerry Gaspard, 23, a senior majoring in communications from Miami, Fla. [Read more…]

As the winter solstice draws near, students at Norwich University have started to prepare for flu and cold viruses and the “rookie plague,” according to Deb O’Hara, the head physician’s assistant at the NU infirmary.

While flu season has not officially struck, it’s important that students take the proper precautions to prepare for the impending wave of viruses, said O’Hara.

“It is a time for the rooks, who have already been through so much when their bodies begin to wear down,” O’Hara said, “they are not getting adequate sleep and are under a lot of stress.” [Read more…]

Editor’s note: This story on male views on sex is part of a look by the Guidon at views about sexuality on campus. It will be followed in the next issue with stories on the health risks from STDs, as well as a range of other viewpoints on campus about sex and relationships. See the related story: “Love at Norwich? For some, it happens and turns into a long-term relationship. ”

If you listen to some male students at Norwich University, their sex life is great, with multiple willing partners and no strings attached.But speaking anonymously, they also wonder about the emotional cost of random hookups for their female partners, and some worry about the risks of having unprotected sex.

Meanwhile, some other male NU students take a very different view of things, saying they are abstaining from sex, choosing to wait till they find a life partner or someone they want to be emotionally involved with. [Read more…]

Some students find unexpected true love and long-term relationships at Norwich.

Editor’s note: This story on love and relationships is part of a look by The Guidon at views about sexuality and campus life. See the related story: ” Sex and virginity at Norwich: Guys tell all.”

Finding love at Norwich isn’t something students plan on when they come to school here. But sometimes it happens when you least expect it, and college becomes a place where deep relationships result.

As a military school with a deep traditional culture, Norwich may have some social differences with other colleges. But talk to females on campus and you hear that relationships here are like those at other schools around the country. [Read more…]

Picture a vehicle driving through a forest, crawling over rocks, slogging through mud and pushing the limits. That’s what people who drive off-road envision when asked for a description of one of their favorite activities. At Norwich, a number of students are avid fans of off-roading, spending money and time modifying their vehicles to handle all kinds of terrain. [Read more…]

A rough sketch of the 2014 cover consisting of Jackman Hall with the Upper Parade Ground trees and flag used for rook week, symbolizing the start of the Norwich experience.

Yearbooks have long been the memory keepers of academic institutions. The War Whoop, Norwich University’s yearbook, is hoping to be seen as more than just a picture book and is going to be revamped, according to Norwich’s Assistant Commandant of Cadets.“It has become a very good pictorial book, but now we have to get it to include good written content to support the photos,” said Bill Passalacqua, assistant commandant of cadets. “Unlike high school, students don’t go around and get their book signed, but in later years they will pull it out, especially with reunions coming up every five to ten years.” [Read more…]

For all students at Norwich University, time management is a huge factor when it comes to their success. With all of the time put into schoolwork students may want to blow off steam on the weekends.

The Norwich University Paintball team has been hosting open sessions on Sundays at Paine Mountain offering their time to be referees for all students willing to “wage war.”

Tim Annese, a 19 year-old sophomore from Newton, Mass., majoring in communications, said “it’s fun spending time up on Paine Mountain, we get to teach people how to play and make sure they are being safe at the same time.” [Read more…]

It has a vulgar name and you won’t find it on the McDonald’s menu, but the sandwich has its fans at Norwich.

Special ordering off the menu is something commonly associated with “mom and pop” restaurants, not large corporations. But according to multiple Norwich students, ordering nontraditional items is a big hit at the home of the Big Mac.

A combination of two popular McDonald’s products forms what is colloquially known as “the McGangbang.” It is, at least in the eyes of one Norwich student, a hot item. [Read more…]